As domestic campaigns draw to a conclusion, attention for many football fans is inevitably switching to this summer.
Transfer stories are set to dominate the headlines, especially for Manchester United, who are expected to once again spend big as they look to close the gap and compete with rivals Manchester City, who have claimed their fifth Premier League title in six seasons.
While United are almost certain to dip into the market to bolster their side, many will be watching with intrigue as to what they do with returning loan star Amad Diallo.
Amad arrived at Old Trafford in January 2021, with United striking up a deal which could rise up to £37million to land his signature.
The move raised plenty of eyebrows at the time given the forward - then just 18 - had made just four Serie A appearances amounting to around 40 minutes at former club Atalanta.
During his first six months in Manchester, Amad managed just eight appearances, something that indicated he wasn’t yet at the level required to compete for a regular place in the United side.
He again found minutes hard to come by in the first half of the following season, not helped by the club’s on-the-pitch struggles as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign as United boss began to implode.
A loan move to Rangers in January offered Diallo the chance to secure first-team minutes and showcase his abilities on a more consistent basis. While he started well with the Glasgow club though, netting on his debut, he failed to live up to expectations and finished the season having scored just two more league goals while failing to complete 90 minutes once.
Questions naturally arose when he returned to Old Trafford later that year, with United chiefs unsure just how good the young attacker could be.
Another loan move, and a chance of redemption, followed last summer when Sunderland swooped in to acquire his services, and much to the relief of his parent club, it’s a move that proved to be highly profitable for all parties involved as the Ivorian well and truly blossomed on Wearside.
Amad registered 16 Championship goal contributions (13 goals, three assists) across the campaign, and many credit him for being a driving force behind Sunderland’s play-off push. He scored in the final game of the season to seal a place in the top six for the Black Cats and netted in their first-leg semi-final win over Luton Town.
From a collective perspective, the campaign ended in disappointment as Sunderland suffered defeat in the second leg, going down 3-2 on aggregate and missing out on a place in the play-off final. However, Amad received plenty of recognition for his fine season, scooping the EFL’s Young Player of the Month for January and Sunderland’s Young Player of the Year award.
Black Cats boss Mowbray has spoken glowingly of the forward several times in the campaign, stating most recently that he’s a player who often “finds the game too easy” while adding that even if he doesn’t play for United next season, he will be sold for “big, big money”.
That raises the question for many Manchester United fans: will he play at Old Trafford next season?
It’s always tough to compare how performances in England’s second tier would translate to the Premier League given the step up in quality. However, there’s no denying the Championship is a highly competitive division full of top talent - if a player is operating at the top end of it, then prospects are good that they can transition successfully into England’s top tier, especially if they’re young like Amad.
With that in mind, it’s fair to say Amad has proven to be one of the division’s standout stars this season, which is something we can highlight by diving into some of his underlying numbers from the campaign.
At Sunderland, he ranked in the team’s top three for take-on attempts (146) and progressive carries (107), while across the whole division, only six players managed more successful dribbles (62). Albeit with the caveat of playing in a tougher division, it’s worth noting no Manchester United attacker can better Amad’s numbers in any of those three departments this season.
It was common this season to see him receive ball on the right, and weave through defenders before cutting in onto his favoured left foot to smash efforts towards goal. The fact no Sunderland player attempted more shots than his total 64 highlights the ease with which he worked himself into good shooting positions, and his return of 13 goals from an Expected Goals (xG) of 8.1 highlights how clinical he was in these areas.
It’s little wonder that when Mowbray lost star striker Ross Stewart (26) to injury in January, it was Amad who was chosen to temporarily lead the attack in his place. And such is his quality, the Sunderland boss believes there are many other positions he could play if called upon.
Speaking back in March, he said: "I've been trying to say to you the ball isn't a problem to him. He can play wide, he can play inside, he can play deep. I think he can play centre-midfield for us in the Championship, you know. Just give him the ball and he very rarely loses it.”
While Diallo clearly has a high ceiling, his ability to play multiple roles could be the decisive factor in helping him forge a spot in Erik ten Hag’s squad next season.
The United boss discovered how painfully thin his current squad was at various points this season, especially in attack where injuries forced the club to make a surprise loan move for Burnley forward Wout Weghorst (30).
While United are sure to strengthen in the summer, Amad’s ability to play different roles combined with his huge potential could persuade Ten Hag that he could be a key component in the United attack next season.
